The present invention relates to a seat for securement to a bicycle and more particularly to a bicycle seat of the type having a pair of seat members for supporting the rider of the bicycle thereon.
Conventional bicycle seats of the type which are commonly currently employed, are known to cause discomfort and possible damage to the health of riders by placing excess pressure on the soft tissues of the perineal area, including the pelvic area in female riders or the main penile artery in male riders and related nerves of that area. Numerous variations to the design of bicycle seats have been proposed for transferring the weight of the rider to the buttocks the rider. Examples of these are found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.
Among the references noted above however, focusing the weight of the rider on the ischial tuberosities, commonly known as the sit bones, can also cause considerable discomfort during extended use of a bicycle. Furthermore, among the designs proposed by the above noted patents, none provide sufficient ventilation to the buttocks in the area of the sit bones. In each device of the prior patents noted, a complex arrangement of parts is required while little suitable suspension is provided. Many of the prior patents disclose suspension which tilts the seating surfaces excessively forwardly, providing inadequate support to the rider.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a seat for securement to a bicycle seat mount, the seat comprising:
a pair of mounting members coupled together, parallel and spaced apart from one another, each extending longitudinally from a respective front end to a respective rear end;
a pair of a support members, each coupled at a respective front end to the front end of a respective one of the pair of mounting members and extending upwardly and rearwardly in relation to the mounting member to a respective rear end;
the rear ends of the respective support members being movable relative to the mounting members between an unflexed position spaced above the mounting members and a flexed position in which the rear ends of the respective support members are deflected downwardly in relation to the unflexed position;
a pair of seat members supported on the support members respectively, the pair of seat members being suitably sized for supporting buttocks of a rider thereon; and
biasing means biasing the rear ends of the respective support member and the respective seat members supported on support members from the flexed position to the unflexed position.
The use of a pair of seat members for supporting the respective buttocks of the rider thereon relieves the pressure from the perineal area of a rider, to prevent excess pressure on the main penile artery in the subscrotal area of male riders. Also, the pair of seat members provides a broad seating surface which is shorter in a longitudinal direction of the bicycle so as to be more comforting to the wider and more shallow pelvic area of female riders. Suspension of the seat members is provided by downward flexing of the support members which are oriented to extend upwardly and rearwardly such that the seating surfaces do not tilt excessively forwardly under suspension as in the prior art. Providing a downward incline to the seating surfaces also provides relief to pressure on the hamstrings of a rider.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a seat for securement to a bicycle seat mount, the seat comprising:
a pair of mounting members coupled together, parallel and spaced apart from one another, each extending longitudinally from a respective front end to a respective rear end;
a pair of a support members mounted on the respective mounting members to extend upwardly therefrom; and
a pair of seat members supported on the support members respectively spaced above the mounting members, the pair of seat members being suitably sized for supporting buttocks of a rider thereon;
the seat members each including a peripheral seating surface arranged to support a respective one of the buttocks of the rider thereon and a recessed portion surrounded by the seating surface arranged to suspend a respective one of the ischial tuberosities of the rider therein.
Forming the seat members with a peripheral seating surface having a central opening therein permits the sit bone area of the rider to be supported thereon while relieving pressure directly on the ischial tuberosities, more commonly known as the sit bones.
The biasing means may include resilient material coupling the support members to the mounting members or a resilient suspension member coupled between the rear ends of the respective support members and the rear ends of the respective mounting members, or both. There may be provided stop means for limiting deflection of the support members beyond a prescribed spacing from the mounting members in the flexed position.
The seat members preferably span laterally outwardly from respective inner sides supported on the support members respectively to respective outer sides spaced laterally outwardly from the support members respectively. The outer sides of the respective seat members in this arrangement are preferably movable in relation to the support members between respective flexed and unflexed positions of the seat members.
Preferably the seat members are supported on the support members adjacent the respective rear ends of the support members, spaced rearwardly from the respective front ends of the support members.
The seat members may each include a peripheral seating surface arranged to support a respective one of the buttocks of the rider thereon and an opening surrounded by the seating surface arranged to suspend a respective one of the ischial tuberosities of the rider therein. Thus, the seat members may each comprise a generally annular seating surface connected to a respective one of the support members.
Each seat member preferably includes rigid annular member surrounded by padded material having at least one ventilation aperture extending therethrough between respective top and bottom surfaces of the seat member. The padded material may comprise polyurethane foam, injection molded integrally about the rigid annular member.
Preferably the rear ends of the respective support members are coupled to one another for movement together between the flexed and unflexed positions.
Also, each seat member preferably extends at a downward incline from a rear end to a front end thereof in relation to the mounting members to relieve pressure on the hamstrings of the rider.
In one embodiment, the mounting members and the support members are formed of a continuous rod of deformed spring steel having some limited resiliency. The seat members may also comprise a continuous rod of material, which is formed into a pair of annular members for supporting the respective buttocks of the rider thereon.
In an alternative embodiment, the front ends of the support members are pivotally coupled to the mounting members. The biasing means in this instance includes the resilient suspension member coupled between the rear ends of the respective support members and the rear ends of the respective mounting members.